1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to nautical hardware, and more particularly to nautical holdfast devices and, even more particularly, to a retractable horn cleat device that can be stowed flush with a deck or other surface upon which it is mounted when not in use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Horn cleats are usually positioned peripherally on a deck, generally in proximity to the ship's gunwales. They are used to secure cargo and other objects on board and are also adapted to belay hawsers when the boat is berthed at a dock.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional horn cleat structure for a boat comprises a transverse rod 10 and two vertical rods 12 connected below the transverse rod 10. The transverse rod 10 is often fixedly secured both to the two vertical rods 12 and to a boat deck 16 with two screw bolts 14 passing through the two vertical rods 12.
When cleats are used to lash down cargo, the line is wound around the cargo, and the two ends of the line are belayed respectively to different cleats thereby substantially immobilizing the cargo and preventing the cargo from loosening, shifting weight, or otherwise moving. When the ship is docked, one end of the line is belayed to the cleat on board, while the other end of the line is cleated at the dock, thereby making fast the boat to prevent it from slipping its mooring and drifting away.
However, currently available conventional cleats protrude from the surface of the boat deck, or any other surface on which such cleats are fixedly mounted. The consequent problems are that the horn cleats of the prior art not only take up some of the limited space on a boat deck, but constitute a safety hazard, potentially causing persons to trip, stumble, stub toes, injure feet, and the like.
Furthermore, insofar as conventional cleats are fixed objects protruding from the deck, the available and suitable installation positions are rather limited. They are typically installed on the outer aspects of the deck periphery to stay as clear as possible of passageways and similarly busy places.
Accordingly, these and related problems of conventional horn cleats of the prior art are substantially overcome by the retractable horn cleat device of the subject invention.